Seattle is the birthplace of special education thanks to four Seattle mothers who refused to accept exclusion for their children with disabilities. Janet Taggart, Katie Dolan, Cecile Lindquist and Evelyn Chapman began by creating “basement schools” in local churches—powerful early models of inclusive learning that led to the founding of Northwest Center in 1965. Their advocacy, alongside UW law students Bill Dussault and George Edensword-Breck, resulted in House Bill 90, the nation’s first law guaranteeing public education for children with disabilities and the blueprint for today’s IDEA.
Sixty years later, Northwest Center continues this legacy, offering inclusive early learning, family support, employment services and workforce transformation programs that help children and adults with disabilities learn, work and belong. Despite progress, disparities persist—children with disabilities are still disproportionately excluded from early learning, and adults face unemployment at twice the rate of their non-disabled peers. Northwest Center’s work, serving more than 35,000 people in 2024 alone, shows that inclusion strengthens not only individuals but entire communities.
Their message is clear: when we invest in inclusive education and employment, everyone benefits.
Thank you for your support this year, our 60th Anniversary, and every year. Here’s to another 60 years of inclusion.
Read the full story in the Seattle Times Year End Giving Guide:
https://www.seattletimes.com/sponsored/seattle-birthplace-of-special-education/
